


Beta Fish

by vibe_check



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Character Study, Of sorts?, not a ship fic don't get it twisted they're still at each other's throats lmao, outta the comfort zone into the fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22642417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vibe_check/pseuds/vibe_check
Summary: A fun fact about Beta fish care is that, if you really want more than one, you should under no circumstances put them in the same tank, or they’ll fight like teenage boys in a gym locker room. For his own sadistic reasons, Lupin had decided to take Goemon with him to go scope out a hiding spot, leaving Fujiko and Jigen alone for… well, forever as far as those two were concerned.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	Beta Fish

**Author's Note:**

> I REALLY LIKE JIGEN. I REALLY LIKE FUJIKO. They do not like each other a lot.

“You’ll be fine, you big baby,” he had told him. 

“It’s not about being fine,” Jigen had fired back. 

But here he was, stuck at lunch with Fujiko. 

Lupin and Goemon were only supposed to be gone for an hour to check out a potential job, which was normally Jigen’s ground. He wasn’t offended by Goemon taking his place for a day. Goemon needed to partake in all aspects of the job, of course, and even though it had been years and years since he joined, he was still the most recent member of the gang. Jigen thought it was a good idea for Lupin to finally teach him what to look for in a security system. He just wished he could’ve gone too. Or at the very least, waited in the car. Anything but sitting by her.

She spun her pointer finger on the rim of her waterglass. Neither of them had brought actual money to eat, so there was nothing to occupy the space and silence. Dreadful, but Jigen could manage. 

“Jigen,” Fujiko said. Alright, so she could NOT manage. “How long did they say?”

“Too long.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not babysitting you or anything. You don’t need to act like this is some chore for you.”

Jigen forcefully grinned, a sight so painful Fujiko near winced in sympathy. “And YOU don’t have to pretend like either of us are going to have a deep conversation while they're away.”

“So grouchy, all the time.”

Jigen scoffed. “Almost like years of stealing people’s hard work gets you on someone’s bad side.”

Fujiko tutted with a light shake of her head. “But Jigen, isn’t that what you do too? What do you think thievery is, honey?”

Jigen held out a finger, ready to bite back, but it wobbled as he realized she was right. “Well, I don’t pretend to be on their si--”

“Oh, you don’t? I’ve got some pretty harsh Yelp reviews here on a bodyguard that a lot of rich girls aren’t keen on hiring again.” She waggled her phone in the air. 

Fujiko crossed her legs cordially as Jigen continued sulking. She added a final blow. “And you’re a little short for a bodyguard.”

Jigen seethed.”I’m taller than you!”

“Please. I’m wearing stilettos today. You’ve lost a full inch on me.” 

“I don’t have to be taller than someone to shoot them clear through their skull.”

“Maybe aim for the knees instead! That way when you finished them off, they’d be at your level.” 

“Okay-let’s-talk-about-something-else,” he puffed in one breath. “You’re boring me. I’m gonna go out for a smoke.”

“We’re sitting on the outside patio.”

“Have you ever settled for NOT being smarmy and annoying?”

“Have you ever considered workplace diversity training? Your woman-issues are thicker than the smoke coming from your cigs.”

Jigen glowered at his hands below the table, clutching the cigarette box tightly. Look, it wasn’t that he hated ALL women. He just wasn’t all that invested in them romantically, and it was hard to keep friendships in this line of work regardless of gender. He’d met women he liked, women that he thought about time to time. Women who had saved his life, women who he’d saved, and women who had gone through horrible sacrifices and stayed strong. 

Jigen didn’t have problems with women-- people-- that were kind to him and gave him space. Fujiko was not that kind of woman.

“You’ve been staring down at your crotch for a while.”

He snapped his attention back to her, eyes briefly peeking out as his hat couldn’t keep up with his motions. “I’m just thinking.”

“About your… crotch…”

Jigen sighed heavily and bitterly before raising his hands to show the box that was in his lap. Fujiko understood, but that didn’t mean she’d stop thinking it was funny. 

Jigen took one out and set the box on the table as he dug in his pockets for his lighter. Fujiko began to reach across, but froze solidly, hand hovering over the center of the red table. “Right,” she murmured, soon returning to a normal volume. “Could I borrow…?”

He pushed the box toward her, knowing he had another pack in the car if she took it. However, she slid it back to him as soon as she’d taken one out. 

She had her own light. The only disturbance in the silent, peaceful air was the click of her fingers on the wheel. Jigen wanted to return to his thoughts, but really couldn’t, so he just stared at the traffic buzzing by. A blue car. A pink. Red. Gre--

“He did it on purpose.”

“I know that. He always tries to do this,” Jigen said. “He thinks if we spend enough time together he can get away with whatever.”

Fujiko let out a harsh laugh, one that seemed to fit Jigen more than it did her. “We agree on that at least.”

Jigen nodded, keeping his eyes on the road parallel to their table. 

He could see that, out of the corner of his eye, Fujiko was also blankly staring into that road. She said, “There has to be more we agree on.”

Jigen was tired. He didn’t want to fight more, so he appealed to her. “Yeah.”

“You go first. Name something, just… a thing.”

“Strong loyalty.” It came out before he could stop it, and he lightly bit his cigarette once it spilled out. She laughed.

“Likewise! What would I be without Lupin’s loyalty to me, you know?” 

“Hatred of Lupin.”

Fujiko smiled, lips curling almost unnaturally. “Pretending to hate him.” 

Jigen cracked, just barely. “Being annoyed with Lupin.”

“Fair! I’ll take it.” She hesitated, rapping along the end of her cigarette. “Jewels.”

“For different reasons,” he dismissed her.”You like to just wear them.”

“And you don’t? Goemon’s told me the crown story!”

“What story? There’s no story. If it’s what I’m thinking of it’s barely two sentences.”

“The princess’ crown?”

“It was impulse. And it fit nicely. I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

“But you did.”

“Go to hell.”

Fujiko was having trouble keeping a straight face. “What do you think of… parties?”

For a moment, no underlying sarcasm touched Jigen’s voice. “Parties? What?”

“Do you ever go to them? For fun. Not on jobs, just to enjoy yourself.”

Jigen took out his cigarette, thinking. He didn’t go often, and why would he? What was he going to do there? Socialize? Make business ties? Likely story. 

“Not recently.”

“When was the last time?”

There was only really one time. It was before they knew Goemon, before Fujiko hung out so often, but certainly after Jigen got over trying to murder Lupin. It wasn’t for a job, but it was to celebrate one, one of the first big heists of their shared career. It was… Italy? No, Spain. Neither of them were invited, but they went in anyways. Jigen lost his hat for the first time in that crowd, before he started shortening the bands to be tighter. 

He’d forgotten about it, honestly. The one where Lupin got sick on the car ride back. The one where they woke up feeling like hell. It was too loud, but not crowded enough to save him from being an easy target to flirt on. It was a horrible party. But it was also easily an important stepping stone in them trusting each other, so he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“It was a long time ago. I think I’d only met you four times by then.”

“God, that IS a long time ago.”

Fujiko closed her eyes, sitting crookedly and resting her side against the chair. He wondered what went through her head. Actually, what went through her head 80% of the time? What made her decide who was worth dying for and who she’d turn on in a second? Was there an overlap in those categories? Jigen thought there must’ve been, because otherwise why would she hang around them. 

When the constant betrayal didn’t make him angry, it confused him. 

In an industry like this, it wasn’t a good idea to keep connections, and if you did, they’d better be watertight. As much as Lupin got on his nerves sometimes, Jigen knew they’d both do near-anything to save the other, and he suspected the same of Goemon. They had rough patches, but they always came back together. But to call Fujiko’s actions “rough patches” would be like saying the Titanic came back with a few dings. 

It would be easy for Fujiko to have each run-in with them be her last. She’d certainly found enough gullible, rich men with cushy finances that she wouldn’t need Lupin, but she came back. Why?

If you’ll pardon the expression, Jigen decided to bite the bullet.

“Why do you come back?”

Fujiko looked at him, but notably didn’t turn. “Well gee, Jigen, I dunno. Why do you?”

Jigen decided he’d had enough mental catastrophes today and brushed off her question, instead focusing at the sarcasm she’d thrown onto the table. He reiterated his earlier thoughts aloud to her. “You don’t need us. You’ve made it clear a few times, probably more than all three of us could count on our fingers and toes, but you always come back.”

She smiled, but one of her soft, simpler smiles, as opposed to the sweet, saccharine smiles she would dish out at everyone. “You think it’s all about money, don’t you?”

“Is that the wrong line of thinking for someone wearing designs from every past and current judge of Project Runway?” He turned to her with an emphatic look. “Right this second?”

Fujiko pushed a Michael Kors bag under the table. She muttered something about ‘underselling it’ and ‘being smarter than just buying from American designers.’

“I’m not saying I hate money, Jigen. I’m saying that there is a little past it.”

“A--”

“A little,” she repeated deliberately.

“I see. So it’s not the money bringing you back.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but we established there’s more to it, yes. Man, talking to you is like hosting a daycare.”

He glared at her, an unseen gesture thanks to his hat. He was sure she got wind of it anyways, because somehow everyone did. 

“Jigen sweetie, why do you think I always come back? If it’s not the money, what else could it be?”

Jigen felt the answer sticking to his tongue, but it would sound pompous and stupid if he said it. Still, she looked at him like it was rhetorical, so he answered. “Love?”

She nodded, adding a small “mhmm” in the mix. “The same reason you do. The same reason Goemon does.”

“That’s not very convincing. You’re making it out like he’s got some untouchable magnetic attraction to everyone, which we both know isn’t true.”

She laughed. “Hell no. There’s other ways to love, Jigen. It’s not really about that, all the time.”

Jigen was a little lost. “No?”

“No, silly. And it’s not all about him either.”

“It’s… not.”

She shook her head, curls bouncing at the movement. “It’s about all of us, a little. Sometimes a girl wants… friends.”

Jigen knew it was rude to laugh, but he did anyways. “Friends! Is that what we’re calling it?”

“I don’t mean all the time, I just--”

“Just when you want it? Friendship doesn’t work that way. You’re thinking of benefits.”

Fujiko’s smile no longer reached her eyes. “Isn’t it better this way? 4 is too large of a number. It’s easier to keep work and pleasure separate.”

“There’s four seats in the car. It’s not that high a number. You don’t seem to mind the company when we’re pocketing rubies or something.”

“But what about when I mess up? What abou--”

“You call us.”

Fujiko stopped, her cigarette falling out of her hand onto the stone-path pavement below. A blank expression painted her face, confused. “I--”

“It’s what you do any time something goes south. You tell them we’ll get you out of it.” And she was right, they always would, but he didn't say that much.

She blubbered slightly. “W-- I guess I… never thought of it that way.”

“Your 3-maximum model doesn’t really work when you need help. Or when you want to do a job. I’m sure being alone has it’s perks, but it seems like you fall back on a team when you can, so why lie?”

The put her elbow on the table and rested on it with a sour disposition. “You wouldn’t understand. You’ve just forgotten what it’s like to work solo.”

“That’s what you don’t understand. I do work solo. A lot, actually. I leave when I want, do what I want, and come back. Goemon does too. None of us are ashamed of needing help.”

“I’m not ashamed of it.”

“So what do you call it?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t want to drag others into it.”

“I--”

“And in all honesty, I want to keep what I find for myself.”

“Okay, I don’t know what I was expecting.” She crossed her arms and glared at him, making him realize if he didn’t ease up she would cease to talk to him completely. Not an objectionable idea on an average day, but they had to get this out. Both of them. “You could just ask.”

“Wow, what’s your IQ again?”

Jigen sighed. Why did he even try? “If you care about him- Care about US, then don’t dance around the fact. You don’t need to keep everything mysterious and shit. Take it from me.”

“YOU?! You’re the emotional barrier MASTERMIND. Am I supposed to trust a man always hiding his face, so no one ever properly sees what he’s thinking?”

He was just about fed up by this point. Jigen clutched his hat tightly, crumpling it in his hand, and swiped it off. He slammed it on the table. 

Fujiko was startled, and leaned back into her chair in defense. 

“THERE, now what’s YOUR excuse?!” he shouted. 

Fujiko recovered and stared into his eyes, equal anger reflected in both. “I’ll tell you, it’s easier to converse when you can actually look at the person you’re talking to. Now you want answers?”

“No shit!!”

“Why do you help people? Why?” She spat.

Jigen wasn’t going to say he was a good person. It wasn’t the kindness of his heart. That was a rare emotion of his that seldom showed up. “I don’t.”

“If Goemon was dangling on a cliff, would you lift him?”

“What do you take me for? Of course. It’s different though, he’s Goemon.”

She wasn’t as loud now, though Jigen wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t want to make a scene while the others were out or if she was sincerely softening. “So, you only help people you care about?”

“Yeah I gu--” Jigen realized what she was getting at. “Don’t go there.”

“You help me sometimes. Without interference from the others. What does that mean?”

“It’s a double-edged sword, then. You help me, though much less than I have to save your sorry ass.” A true statement, but then again Jigen didn’t normally dangle stolen goods in the faces of those he stole it from and NOT expect to be locked up. 

“So what does that say about us?!”

“You tell me!!” 

Maybe it was for the best no food had been ordered, or Fujiko would’ve flung it in his face by this point. 

“Whoa, didn’t realize we’d need lion tamers when we came back.”

Both of them turned, movements fueled by anger alone. Jigen was gritting his teeth so hard that you could see the strain on his neck, and Fujiko’s nails dug into her palms enough to leave tiny imprints. Upon seeing the other members of their party were back, they sat back in their chairs, never realizing they stood to spout insults at another.

“Hey.”

“How did it go?”

Lupin and Goemon turned to look at each other, halfway coming to terms with the fact that Lupin’s little idea wasn’t so brilliant. Goemon faced them again, and calmly said, “Too exposed. Too busy.”

“But as unsuspecting as you can get. Who would hide out in such an obvious play to NOT hide out?” Lupin clasped his hands together loudly. “Let’s. Leave.”

“Okay,” Fujiko and Jigen said simultaneously. They stood, Jigen grabbing his hat again and putting it on before Lupin or Goemon said a word. 

Goemon squinted at Lupin, who shrugged back with a tight, toothy frown. It was a silent exchange, but one Jigen understood easily. He agreed; if they had left them alone for even 5 more minutes, one would have stab wounds and bruises and the other would have a bullet lodged in their arm. 

Jigen wasn’t so sure it was a failure though. 

He only understood her minutely more than before, but it was still something. She’d confirmed she cared about them, loved Lupin… maybe even that she loved Jigen and Goemon in a way that only made sense to her. It was weird. It was stupid. But Jigen kind of got it.

To say he loved Fujiko would be foolish. But… she had a point. He did save her, if he was in a good mood. He didn’t object when she needed a hug.

It wasn’t even, but he knew it was a steady incline. Over the years and years of knowing her, she’d gone from an aloof, traitorous asshole to a… well, still traitorous, but friendly asshole. One that today proved, he could hold conversation with, if only for an hour. It wasn’t a satisfying conclusion to any of his questions. But then again, when was anything involving him and the others?

Jigen wouldn’t call it love. Maybe… maybe it was respect? A tiny smile tainted his otherwise bitter face as they exited the cafe. Oh, she’d get a laugh out of that. 

Maybe he’d tell her next time Lupin was stupid enough to leave them alone.

**Author's Note:**

> *aggressively talks out emotions with a sworn enemy*


End file.
